ARRIVAL OF THE ANTILLANew
Zealand Gazette and Wellington Spectator December 11th 1841

By the arrival of the Antilla, we have Cape
papers to the 9th October, mentioning the loss of the long-expected Prince Rupert. The
Captain of the Prince Rupert had addressed a letter to one of the papers there, of which
the following is a copy :-

"To the Editor: Sir, - In consequence of the
rumours current as to the loss of the above ship, I have requested a Court of Inquiry to
be held as to the circumstances under which it took place. - In the meantime I trust
you will allow me to state through your columns, that the ship left Gravesend on the 16th
April, and Plymouth on the 14th May last, under the command of her owner, Sir Henry E.
Atkinson, Knight and Captain in the Royal Navy, having on board Her Majesty's
Commissioner, and a staff of surveyors for New Zealand.

On the 8th July she put into Bahia [in Brazil] to
fill up her water. Captain Atkinson had suffered much from ill health during the voyage,
and became so much worse at Bahia, that his medical adviser thought it necessary that he
should return to England. He therefore gave over the command to me, and at my request, and
with the concurrence and aid of her Majesty's Commissioner and the British Consul at that
port, engaged Mr. Thomas Beazley, who bore a high character for skill and ability, and had
made several voyages to the eastward of the Cape, to act as chief officer from Bahia to
New Zealand.

We left Bahia on the 23rd July, and proceeded on
the voyage till, finding our provisions would run short, it was deemed necessary to bear
up for the Cape for a further supply. On the 3rd inst we made the coast, Saldanha Bay,
distant about 20 miles, and worked up towards Table Bay with light baffling winds, till
about noon of the 4th, when we made Table Land. About 2 p.m. the wind became fair, and we
stood on under all sail, until 6, when we took in the royals, and about 7 passed Robben
Island and stood for the anchorage, keeping the lead going until the water shoaled to 6,
fathoms; when, the night being dark, it was thought advisable to anchor for the night to
avoid fouling the shipping, and the best bower was let go with 45 fathoms chain, and the
hands sent aloft to furl the sails; and while this was doing, the ship swung head to wind,
and then struck aft on the rocks; her head sails were then set, and the cables slipped, in
the hope she would get off, but without effect. - Signed E Ramage

His Excellency the Governor of the Cape of Good
Hope acceeded to the request contained in the above letter, appointed G M Pedder, Esq
Acting Port Captain, G. Robb, and J. Smith, Esqrs Master Mariners, as Commissioners to
take such evidence as might be brought before them, and to report the result of the
inquiry into the causes which led to the wreck in question. - The said Commissioners
examined Edward Ramage, the Master, Thomas Beazely, Chief Officer, H. Atkinson, second
Officer, James Wells, Midshipman, John Winter, Boatswain, Joan Higgins, seaman, all
belonging to the said vessel, and M Clayton, Signalman, and came to the following opinion
on the subject :- We, the undersigned, having been appointed by his Excellency the
Governor as a Commission to enquire into the causes which led to the loss of the Prince
Rupert, on the night of the 4th September 1841, after carefully examining the Officers and
part of the crew of that vessel, and having maturely weighed the evidence adduced, are of
opinion that had the Officer in charge of that vessel made more sail when the breeze
sprung up, (and became steady) instead of reducing sail, that he would have approached
near enough to the port to have ascertained his exact position before dark, and would have
thereby avoided the danger which led to the loss of the Prince Rupert. We find by the
Captain's chart (which was produced in court,) that there was no attention paid to the
directions which are very clearly laid down. We also find that when the anchor was let go
and 45 fathoms of chain veered, that the ship struck on her heel, but that no attempt was
made to shorten in cable previous, to slipping, which, had it been done, we are fully of
opinion the vessel would have been extricated from her dangerous position; had even an
attempt been made to run out a stream anchor and cable, we think it would have been the
means of serving her; or had a spring been clapt on the cable previous to slipping, it
would have materially assisted in giving the vessel headway.

The whole of the proceedings from time of being
abreast of Robben Island until the vessel was on shore at Green-point, we consider to be
highly culpable, but we fully acquit Captain Ramage' and his Officers of intentionally
losing the vessel. We avail ourselves of this opportunity of expressing our opinion, that
had there been a good light on the Mouille Point, vessels might approach the anchorage in
the night with perfect safety. Given under our hands, at Cape Town, this 24th day of
September, 1841. G. M. Pedder, President and acting Port Captain.

G. Robb,

Master Mariners and Commissioners.

J. Smith,

All the passengers, and indeed every living thing
on board, were safely got out, but the cargo, including much valuable property belonging
to the passengers, was all lost or almost irretrievably damaged. The morning after the
wreck, two gentlemen, Mr. Froode, a passenger in the Rupert, and a son of Serjeant
Mereweather of London, resident at the Cape, put off in a boat with (we believe) three
sailors from the Bucephalus in order to save some property from the wreck, and the weather
being extremely boisterous, were upset, and all drowned. Some of the property saved was
sold at the Cape at a great sacrifice.

On board the Rupert were Mr. Spain, the Chief
Land Commissioner, with his wife and family and Lady White, Mrs. Spain's mother; also Mr.
Ligar, the Surveyor-General, with Mrs. Ligar and family, and five assistant surveyors. The
Antilla brig was chartered to convey these gentlemen in the employ of Government, to New
Zealand, for the enormous sum of £2,000 ; they, of course, felt it their paramount duty
to reach New Zealand, at any cost, as soon as possible. The immigrants, about sixty in
number, sent out by the New- Zealand Company, remain at the Cape, where high wages were
offered them. Some passengers for this place will arrive by the first opportunity. Mr.
Froode, the gentleman whose unhappy death was mentioned above, was married to a sister of
Mrs. Ligar> The widow returned to England from the Cape.

The second mate, Mr. Atkinson, son of the Captain
of the Rupert, exerted himself with much gallantry and coolness in recovering the
passengers and property from the wreck, and he received a vote of thanks for his conduct
on the occasion. We regret very much to add that, among the property lost or sadly
damaged, are some most valuable drawings and books of reference executed by and belonging
to Mr. Swainson. This is a public as well as private loss and is quite irreparable.